It was what was expected of two teams in the Top 10 of their classification – a close one – Friday night as the Thomson Bulldogs defeated the Jefferson Dragons 20-13 at Luther Welsh Field at The Brickyard.
“It was two good football teams,” said Thomson head coach Rob Ridings of the Dogs ranked third and the Dragons ranked sixth in 4-A by the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
“They are well-coached and played hard and it was two good teams going at it.”
The game was in question until the very end when Thomson’s TJ Williams intercepted a pass with just seconds remaining in the game after Jefferson had thrown three incomplete passes.
The Bulldogs had taken the lead on the previous possession, driving 62 yards on 15 plays and eating nearly four minutes off the clock. Bubba Murray scored from a yard out after he, Tyrek Braswell and Tyler Curry took turns carrying the ball.
The Bulldogs scored the first two TDs in the first quarter, both on yard runs by Braswell and Curry. Curry’s TD came after Jalek Nicholson fell on a Dragon fumble.
Down 13-0, Jefferson scored on a 14-yard TD by Colby Wood with nearly 10 minutes left in the first half.
Colby got his second TD with three minutes left in the third quarter on a 4-yard run.
The Bulldogs out gained the Dragons 309-233, with the visitors getting 77 yards rushing and 156 yard passing.
The Dogs ran for 233 yards and 76 yards through the air.
Braswell led the Dogs in rushing with 101 yards on 19 carries. Murray had 78 yards on 18 rushes, and Curry had 50 yards on 11 carries.
Artest Banks was THS’ leading tackler with nine tackles, while Xzavious Lewis had eight and Christian Tutt totaled seven.
FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS, see the full story in the Sept. 7, 2017, issue of The McDuffie Progress. To have The McDuffie Progress delivered to your home or business each week, simply call 706-595-1601 to subscribe. Or, follow the link on our home page to subscribe.